Locals Hike – Kingsnake's Home Den

Globe chamomile, aka stinknet (Oncosiphon pilulifer), an invasive species from South Africa, has become widespread in Maricopa County over the last 15 years. Stinknet was the most common flower in Reach 11.

Reach 11 Recreation Area

2026-02-25 Hiking 0

There’s a good decription of the overall Reach 11 Recreation Area from when I biked the west end last year, so I won’t repeat it, […]

South Mountain Park: Looking northwest from inside Dobbins Lookout. North Mountain is visible past downtown Phoenix (right).

South Mountain: Holbert Loop

2026-02-18 Hiking 0

Lots of folks frequently hike Phoenix’s South Mountain Park. Even though South Mountain has 100 miles of dirt trails spread over 16,283 acres, I prefer […]

Cave Creek Regional Park

2025-12-24 Hiking 0

Normally, on Christmas Eve, I hike Shaw Butte to visit it’s palo verde Christmas Tree. It’s a good work out hike. But not worth a […]

Peoria Sunrise Mountain Preserve

2025-11-05 Hiking 0

Personally, I avoid doing the same hike a second time. Heck, the first sixty times I hiked the desert behind my house, I only repeated […]

Lake Pleasant: Just below the summit of Yavapai Point, looking southeast across Ariel Island, towards Black Mountain. The TSMC chip fab, Middle Mountain, Pyramid Peak and Ludden Mountain were clearly visible in the distance. New Waddell Dam is behind Scorpion Bay Marina on the right.

Yavapai Point Trail

2025-03-19 Hiking 0

Today’s plan was to hike to the Cholla Benchmark, atop Yavapai Point, in Lake Pleasant Regional Park. 2025 has been the worst flower season since I […]

I left home at 6:00 a.m. to avoid rush hour. Then, to kill time before dawn, I had a chicken-fried steak Grand Slam breakfast at Denny's in Fountain Hills. Many folks eat but don't exercise, some eat to exercise: I exercise to eat.

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

2025-03-12 Hiking 0

Despite its name, McDowell Mountain Regional Park is largely in the flats, washes and foothills immediately east of the McDowell Mountains. The trails tend to be […]

Looking down Hau'Pal Loop, and across Phoenix, to (left-to-right) Shaw Butte, North Mountain, Piestewa Peak, Mummy Mountain, Camelback Mountain and Papago Buttes. Most of the 1,000 ft. Hau'Pal Loop climb is visible.

South Mountain: Hau’Pal Loop

2025-03-05 Hiking 0

Today, I hiked the first third of Hau’Pal Loop; bits of Alta Trail, Bajada Trail, Max Delta Trail and Crosscut Trail; then finished with the […]

The only flowers I found were ocotillo, in the 1650-1850 ft. elevation band, on the south and west flanks of Hill 1893. At least it's something.

Deem Hills Recreation Area

2025-02-26 Hiking 0

I last hiked Deem Hills 12½ years ago. Another one of my pre-video hikes, I’ve been meaning to get back for at least five years. […]

Mansel Carter, and his Cherokee sidekick Marion Kennedy, were mid-20th century prospectors in the San Tan Mountains. When Carter passed in 1987, Queen Creek was still mostly rural. Now, it is a city of 76,000, extending nearly to Florence. The Carter & Kennedy graves are just off Goldmine Trail, ⅓ mile south of Goldmine Trailhead.

San Tan Mountain Regional Park

2025-02-19 Hiking 0

It’s a long drive from Sunnyslope to Queen Creek, so it’s been three years since I last hiked San Tan Mountain Regional Park. Back then, […]

The highlight of the hike were saguaro on Lost Dog Wash Trail. Thompson Peak on the left.

Lost Dog Wash Trail to Taliesin Overlook

2025-01-15 Hiking 0

Lost Dog Wash Trail to Taliesin Overlook is 2.1 miles, 400 ft. accumulated elevation gain (AEG), outbound. Only 60 AEG on the return trip. Alternately, Ringtail […]